Wherever it Leads Me

Category: INSPIRATIONAL

I hope everyone had a wonderful week and are having a wonderful holiday season. I’m home from the hospital, but will address that in the Things On My Mind section. The weekend was quiet and VERY uneventful thankfully.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Temperatures are FINALLY down into the tolerable range. We even had to turn the heat on when we got home from the hospital on Friday. Friday was an ironic day here in southeast Texas. 7 years ago when I had my cancer surgery, we had a rare ice storm in the area. Then we moved away for several years, but came back to work on my grandparent’s house and are here again for this surgery. Ironically, we had SNOW last Thursday and Friday. yep I said snow! What a shock that was to wake up to in the middle of the night! I don’t get to go outside for another week give or take so am not yet enjoying the change in temperatures though.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

3 ounces of peach high protein drink.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

Unfortunately for the next 90-120 days this is hubby’s category. I am not allowed to do anything or lift anything heavier than a bag of flour. Hubby is being a GREAT sport though and tending to my every need. Because of the risk of infection we are still having to wash every day. He’s just not used to doing it, the vacuuming, cleaning up after the cat and dog, etc…

LAUNDRY... quite a few loads this week, towels, bedding and clothing

LIVING AREAS... I did a serious deep clean just before surgery so am hoping this will get hubby through until March LOL NOT

I haven’t done any reading since last Tuesday, but am hoping to do some later today and get back into a routine. I’m still trying to finish Ava Miles book #9Calendar of New Beginnings.

BIG BANG THEORY and YOUNG SHELDON

NCIS, NCIS NEW ORLEANS and NCIS LA, CRIMINAL MINDS, S.W.A.T.

MADAM SECRETARY, SCANDAL, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR

CHICAGO FIRE, CHICAGO PD, CHICAGO MED later this season

BRAVE, VALOR, SEAL TEAM

LAW & ORDER SVU, BLUE BLOODS, HAWAII 5-0

MACGYVER, SCORPION, BLINDSPOT, ORVILLE, WISDOM OF THE CROWD

Z NATION, WALKING DEAD, FLASH, DC LEGENDS, INHUMANS

THE GOOD PLACE, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, SPEECHLESS, GREAT NEWS

THIS IS US, ONCE UPON A TIME, THE GOOD DOCTOR

GUY’S GROCERY GAMES, BEAT BOBBY FLAY, BOBBY AND DAMARIS

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

Probably nothing this week, but am hoping to start sketching the door series and tree of life next week.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

This category is a sad and sore subject for me until about March. My surgery did not go as planned which is changing so much about food, but sure beats the alternative of being 6 foot under. Hubby is loving being able to eat what he calls bachelor food – S.O.S., chili, hot dogs, hamburger helper, etc… I told him NOT to get used to it though, as soon as I can cook again we will be eating healthier than ever.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

2 times a day

3 ounces PROTEIN drink and GREEN Tea

3 ounces PROTEIN drink and GREEN Tea

3 ounces PROTEIN drink and GREEN Tea

3 ounces PROTEIN drink and GREEN Tea

3 ounces PROTEIN drink and GREEN Tea

3 ounces PROTEIN drink and GREEN Tea

3 ounces PROTEIN drink and GREEN Tea

2-4 times a day

4 ounces strained pureed soup

4 ounces strained pureed soup

4 ounces strained pureed soup

4 ounces strained pureed soup

4 ounces strained pureed soup

4 ounces strained pureed soup

4 ounces strained pureed soup

2 times a day

4 ounces vanilla yogurt

4 ounces vanilla yogurt

4 ounces vanilla yogurt

4 ounces vanilla yogurt

4 ounces vanilla yogurt

4 ounces vanilla yogurt

4 ounces vanilla yogurt

2 times a day

4 ounces jell-o

4 ounces jell-o

4 ounces jell-o

4 ounces jell-o

4 ounces jell-o

4 ounces jell-o

4 ounces jell-o

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

These are recipes that have been waiting in cue to post, I’m definitely NOT back to cooking yet.

You know the old Yiddish proverb, Man Plans, God Laughs? If not, you should learn it just to keep yourself sane.

So, as many of you know I have been suffering from some health issues the past few years, especially this last year. To give you a quick background when I was 24 I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus and not doing well. Several months into the disease I went to my rhuematlogist, held out my hand with 32 pills in it and said “I can’t live this way”. She agreed and we moved into treating the disease and it side affects like Fibromyalgia with diet or better said, lack of diet. I immediately gave up ALL steroids, preservatives, splendas, aspartames, diet food of any kind, non GMO food, canned “food”, boxed “food”fast food as a whole and started perimeter shopping and scratch cooking with “REAL” foods. My life immediately improved.

Fast forward many years to 2011 and my oncologist claiming this change in food prep and eating for all those years saved my life when she was able to lift out a twice torsioned (wrapped around the ovary 2 times) volleyball sized ovarian tumor from my body intact and I have been NED (no evidence of disease) for almost 7 years since. She decided it was because the cancer had nothing else to feed on in my body except itself. I knew I was extremely blessed when after 6 more months of testing everything and everywhere to make sure it was the only tumor, that they found none.

Fast forward another year and I’m having problems with the hiatal hernia that my cancer doctor found, but left alone. Enter a new gastroenterologist who was able to fix the hiatal hernia and shredded esophogaus with a Nissen Fundoplication (2012). This didn’t alter what I ate except in the beginning 2 months, but did alter how much and how often I ate. I also gave up 90% of bread – just filled me up too fast.

Fast forward 9 months (2013) and the mesh from the Nissen Fundoplication failed requiring a revision surgery and another period of liquid food adjustment.

Fast forward to 2016 and the E.Coli bacterial infection that landed me in the hospital with a concussion because I lost consciousness and fell after becoming violently ill. For the next 13 months I was tested by neurology and cardiology for my symptoms before they finally handed me off to gastroenterology which had a HUGE wait time so my wonderful primary doctor got tired of waiting and began doing logical testing on her own. She was the one who found the hiatal hernia (again) and referred me to the surgeon. His testing was further delayed another 6 weeks past their normal backlog by Hurricane Harvey. I love my surgeon and his immediate staff as well as my hospital nurses Ericah and Lexi. Other than that the hospital will be getting a not so favorable review from me. The recovery nurse should NEVER have contact with human beings and the respiratory therapist is negligent with he lack of follow through and the nurse’s aides need to be trained in patient care and helping.

We went into last Wednesday believing he was going to be able to fix the fix on the revision surgery. Unfortunately this is where the Yiddish proverb enters. I had planned food and EVERYTHING on the fix of the fix, but he was unable to correct the issue and had to make a drastic decision to do a bypass. This is a HUGE DRASTIC LIFE CHANGE for anybody, but for me there is very little information written on it for someone who isn’t doing it for weight loss. I mean EVERYTHING written about the subject is for people who need to lose significant amounts of weight. The diet is strict and I can live with that, but the recovery time has now doubled! Once recovery time is over I can live with the longterm lifetime diet and special vitamins as it is high protein, lowfat and REALLY healthy which is right up my alley anyway.

So here we are on day 5 of 90-120 days of nothingness except keeping a food and medicine journal. I cannot tell you how much ALL of your thoughts and prayers have meant to me and are seeing seen me through this ordeal. There is 1 good thing. I did want to lose about 15 pounds and now that is going to be a given. 😀

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I was able to get most of my elf on the shelf photos taken before surgery and definitely have a few favorites. 😀

I hope everyone had an awesome week. Mine was busy with surgery prep and trying to get things done in advance so hubby has very little to do while I’m in recovery mode.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We had a thunderstorm yesterday that rivaled Hurricane Harvey and has knocked out my TV and internet so I’m using the neighbors to finish this post. At&T after a heated discussion did promise a technician between 4 and 8 this afternoon. Unfortunately the 2 dozen Christmas movies I had taped on the DVR to watch during recovery are now toast as well as so we will be calling the customer loyalty number and having a chat about reliability since this is the 4th time in 12 months we have been without service or lost all our shows already recorded.

The weather itself is gray, rainy and still quite WARM. 80° in December is unbearable as far as I’m concerned. It is supposed to storm today and tomorrow and then drop down into the 60’s on Wednesday.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Protein drink and green tea

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… quite a few loads today, towels, bedding and clothing

LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… plan on doing a deep clean today and tomorrow in preparation of not being able to do anything for 60 days and not wanting hubby to have to do it.

I did A LOT of pre-prep during Thanksgiving week, but the refrigerator still only had so much space. By staking and using the appropriate sized plates in between you can stack and stack and stack to fit it ALL in.

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

I’m looking forward to starting recovery later this week with surgery finally behind me. Because of surgery I was on the war path to get things accomplished so hubby didn’t have to. I’m happy to say all my Christmas packages are wrapped and packaged for shipping. YAY something good is coming from the rush to get ready for surgery.

I hope you had as great a Thanksgiving as we did. It was a day full of relaxation, food and football. It was a small gathering this year for us. My uncle came for dinner and brought a yummy apple pie with Marble Slab Vanilla Ice Cream – YUMMY! The weekend was quiet – we NEVER do Black Friday anyway, but being in isolation in the house made it seem quieter than normal. I did tape AND watch several Christmas movies as well as eat some yummy leftovers which are in my opinion the best part of Thanksgiving.

When I was a kid, the Friday after Thanksgiving was the day we put up our Christmas tree, ate turkey sandwiches and started wrapping Christmas presents. Well, this year we put up decorations, ate HOT turkey sandwiches and relaxed. Living in a BIG city this year I avoid shopping on Mondays, Fridays and weekends so it was nice to have a LONG relaxing weekend.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

While it has been more pleasant recently there are still a few days this week projected in the 80’s with higher humidity, but I have realized this is my current norm and won’t change until we move.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Pomegranates and cucumber salad with Green Tea

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… quite a few loads this week, towels, bedding and clothing

LIVING AREAS… plan on doing a deep clean today and tomorrow

KITCHEN… part of the deep clean today

STUDIO… is mainly storage pending our move so nothing going on there

YARD… nothing much after the weekend storms, just too wet to do anything

10 days until surgery – FINALLY! Who would think I’d actually be looking forward to such a thing? After the past 13 months I will be so relieved to have it over that I’m actually glad it’s almost here! I’m trying to get things done a month ahead to make life easier for hubby ESPECIALLY with Christmas in the middle!.

We mixed and match our recliners (since the backs come off so easy these days) so I would have the most comfortable parts in the bedroom since I’ll still be sleeping in a recliner for the next several weeks.

I hope you all had a great week and weekend. Mine was so so – just getting things done that will help hubby while I’m down, but I’m not expecting much excitement until after surgery.

This can be a stressful week for many, so let’s start it with a laugh! Just remember that a turkey is JUST a BIG chicken. I’m going to do my Thanksgiving shopping this morning and then won’t eave the house again!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We finally got a bit of a “COLD” front (at least for here) through yesterday that has lowered temperatures to the fall level finally. I don’t have many hopes for a real winter here, but would like it if the temperatures at least get down to the 60’s for a high and stay there for more than 4 days!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

A banana, tangerine and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… quite a few loads this week, towels, bedding and clothing – doctor has me washing things much more often trying to eliminate infection possibilities. I have to say washing the linens every other day is getting tiresome. I never wear clothes more than one day, but sheets and towels usually get 3-4 days or so before changing them.

LIVING AREAS… plan on doing a deep clean today and tomorrow for Thanksgiving

KITCHEN… pretty clean, but with starting Thanksgiving prep tomorrow that WILL change! I do the veggie chopping and making the croutons for the stuffing on Tuesday and baking on Wednesday so I’m not doing it all on Thursday – makes it so much more stress free! That way I can watch the parade and enjoy my coffee!

STUDIO… is mainly storage these days so nothing going on there

YARD… nothing much for hubby and nothing for me at all

BLOG… still doing some recipe updating, future post planning and holiday posts scheduled, I’m also working on my ideas for Ava the elf

Only more 16 days until surgery and I can’t be happier! I need to get this behind me and on the road to recovery! I ended up with yet another infection this past week and have been put on house “isolation” for the most part until surgery. Primarily I’m staying away from school children and elderly that may be sick or contagious, washing my hands A LOT, showering A LOT and am on 3 new eye drops to combat the latest issue. I’ve already been in for 2 weeks other than doctor appointments and am looking forward to get out and doing the Thanksgiving shopping this morning and after that will only leave the house on the day of pre-op at the hospital and then on the day of surgery. It’s getting old being so sequestered, but has become a necessary evil. We even had to cancel our trip to Santa’s Wonderland. 🙁 There’s always next year. 😀

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I got hubby a new stocking this year and it is really cute. Mine is an UGG red, white and green plaid that I really like too.

Then, there is Gunner, at 15 3/4 he’s still trudging along, but spends most his time chasing rabbits in his sleep in his favorite bed these days.

GOOD MORNING. I can’t believe it is Monday already again! It really seems like the weeks go faster the closer we get to the end of the year. We had a quiet weekend at home except for the few hours I was out with the girls for a yearly craft fair jaunt and lunch.

There are some friends of a friend that are becoming shut-ins for health reasons so at lunch we discussed who would make what for the Thanksgiving meal that is being taken to them. I got cranberry sauce YUMMY and then started the who is making what list for Christmas Eve at Patty’s house after church. I got veggies which I actually like to make, but no one else wants to sign up for. I’m going to make my southern green beans and seagram’s honey glazed carrots. All of these recipes will be posted after Thanksgiving as I’m making them then also and need new pictures.

I made the cranberry sauce this weekend and froze it so it will be easily transported in this horrible heat we are still having. I also got my Thanksgiving menu together (it’s only 10 days away) so we could get the shopping done later this week before the crowds.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

The weather is better than it has been, but NO WHERE near where it should be for mid November. I am so over the 80 degree temperatures!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Fresh fruit and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

Between now and Thanksgiving I’m working hard every day to get as much manual labor done as possible and super stocking so hubby doesn’t have to do much shopping, something he REALLY hates to do and is really not good at LOL. He will be able to do the laundry, vacuuming, dishes etc… with little effort, but I want to make it as easy as possible on him.

I’m doing a countdown to surgery. Just 23 days to go. It will be a LONG 23 days though. I ended up with laryngitis and bronchitis last week and the doctor and I agreed upon a self-imposed “isolation” to keep me healthy enough for surgery. We had been out of town the week before a few days and she believes coming back here with the higher humidity was what did me in. Then last night I discovered new eye infection similar to the last and put in for an emergency referral last night and am waiting on the call to go in to the specialist. It wasn’t this bad last time and he almost put me in the hospital so I am a little scared this time. Something I’m allergic to or exposed to is biting me maybe. Since the last time I have been washing the towels and sheets every two days as it is. Hubby is convinced that I picked up something working on this HOUSE FROM HELL that I have just never been able to get rid of because of my compromised immunity. I’m beginning to think he may be right.

Even if the doctor hadn’t suggested it, hubby was going to impose an isolation because of my compromised immunity. I did go to a favorite craft fair on Saturday and came home with a slight fever and coughing, so have acquiesced to hubby and agreed to a more stringent “isolation”. Insert BIG SIGH here! At this point I will do whatever is necessary to get me through surgery with no more delays. I AM READY TO RECLAIM MY LIFE!

I hope EVERYONE had a GREAT week. Ours was busy with several days of traveling while we explored where to go from here. We’re pretty sure we have decided on our future home town, there are just a few things that need to fall into place first!

It’s really hard to make a move, but it’s even harder when you’re trying to check everything off your list to meet your needs. We’ve been struggling with this decision. One of the things I finally ended up asking hubby in every new place we have looked is “If we won the lottery tomorrow would you still want to live here?”. We both have some bucket list places we’d LIKE to live, but when reality shines in we use a more practical check list, things like churches, grocery stores, restaurants, weather… So, we’re still pulling it all together, but pending any major changes are 90% decided.

We have to get through my surgery and recovery, sell the house, finish packing… but have faith everything will fall into place the way it is supposed to.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Unfortunately, we are starting the week out miserable here – high 80’s and humid. It is supposed to be in the 70’s after Wednesday and the humidity will go down a bit. Have I mentioned I HATE heat AND humidity!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Apples and blueberries with coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… quite a few loads this week, towels, bedding and clothing

LIVING AREAS… plan on doing a deep clean later this week

KITCHEN… right now is pretty clean

STUDIO… is mainly storage these days so nothing going on there. I do have some correspondence to catch up on along with some cathartic letter writing.

I was very excited when the doctor and scheduler told me surgery would be in 2-3 weeks, probably November 17th. So, I was VERY disappointed when the scheduler called back last Tuesday and said that because of the length of the surgery scheduling was proving difficult with the hospital and doctor’s schedules and that surgery was now December 6th. So on the one hand I won’t miss Thanksgiving, but now I will miss Christmas dinner.

The worst part is that I have to avoid crowds and children especially between now and surgery and then again after for a couple months because of my compromised immunity and too high a risk for infection. I’m sick now and going in to see the doctor later today as it is and can’t even tell you where I picked it up. It really sucks when you have a compromised immunity and have to fight so hard just to make it day to day without getting sick. My neighbor, a nurse, has the theory that my body just wasn’t built for humidity and that things will get better after we leave here. I pray she’s right.

We have a super old dog and I recently had to start grinding his dry portion of food into smaller pieces so he could eat better. At first it was weird and made me think of that old Charlton Heston movie, Soylent Green as I ground the chunks into powder, but then a light bulb dawned over me and I realized my NINJA is about to be my best friend as I recover. After I am allowed to eat semi soft foods I will still be able to cook for hubby and get my flavor too by running my meals through the NINJA!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I took several photos while we were gone, but many didn’t turn out as well as I’d liked. This first one was the sky when we got home.

These Oklahoma cotton fields called to me A LOT. I didn’t even realize cotton grew in Oklahoma.

I just LOVE old architecture and this old building on the town square was really neat. I just wish the sun had been shining.

How was your weekend? Mine was productive and quite pleasant weather wise. I went to my first craft festival of the season on Saturday where I ran into a couple friends and received a wonderful Christmas Eve party invitation.

I am working on a 2 year update on the HOUSE FROM HELL that will be up in a few days. Other than that I am just doing EVERYTHING I can to prepare for selling the house and move on ASAP which we are hoping to do just after the doctor gives me the ALL clear after surgery.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We appear to be having a few days of fall weather finally with cool evenings and pleasant days, but they are going to be short lived it appears.

We are FINALLY moving forward!!! Looks like surgery will be in the next 2-3 weeks (they are working out a schedule with the hospital which I should know later today hopefully) and will only limit Thanksgiving! DR. said that I can do Christmas as long as everything is in teeny tiny bites! YAY Christmas is my favorite. The biggest drawback will be that it is a 6 hour surgery to fix what the previous doctor had done, I’ll be in the hospital for 2 days and ZERO lifting or straining of ANY kind for 8 weeks or so. I am so not a sit around girl, but am amassing a list of sit still projects to TRY and keep me occupied.

When we met with the doctor we discussed all the pros and cons of both surgeries and determined the best course of action. There are always concerns and risks, but after talking it all over with the doctor I’m feeling pretty good about the decisions. I never thought I’d be a statistic for late night lawyer commercials, but apparently I now am. Evidently the “BIO MESH” previously used is now being routinely found to be faulty. The surgeon was wonderfully explicit and even drew easy to follow diagrams about how he was going to do a permanent fix. I’m all for NEVER going through this again. I’m going with the adage that third time is a charm. Originally, pretesting, the surgeon didn’t think he’d be able to do a 3rd fix, but after testing he found that the bio mesh is all but missing, or so he suspects from what he saw on the EGD. I’m very happy my surgeon has gotten rave reviews from patients and doctors alike and what he has to say about this more permanent fix. The only drawback is that it will be a lengthy surgery so he can make sure it’s all done right.

Here’s how it this all started. In 2011 I had my cancer surgery which went wonderful and I began the long trek back to health and fitness. All in all, I was already pretty healthy and fit – I mean I cook from scratch, perimeter shop without the junk food and eat extremely little fast food. I don’t really drink, have never smoked or done drugs. The oncologist said that those things probably helped save my life as the cancer had nothing to feed on in my body.

But, the length of surgery caused another problem. Turns out I had a Hiatal hernia that my cancer doctor didn’t fix while she was in there and the stomach acid seeped up and started eroding my esophagus as I laid on the operating table for such a lengthy surgery. So, a year later I had to have another operation to remove part of the shredded esophagus and rebuild the valve. Then 9 months later an allergic reaction to a prescription they gave me for my Fibromyalgia started lowering my potassium levels and shutting down my heart. I collapsed, literally close to death. Fortunately, hubby insisted they take me to the hospital despite the idiot ambulance driver who was convinced I’d been drinking (strongest thing I EVER drink is iced tea) and tried to get me to sign a waiver so he didn’t have to transport me. The hospital staff worked quickly to revive my potassium to a safe level and life went on. When I came to though out on the street I became violently ill. A few weeks later I knew something was wrong (I had torn open the repair) and several weeks after that, I had surgery to repair my stomach and esophagus, AGAIN.

Fast forward a few years later and guess what? Here we are again. Turns out I appear to be a statistic, a part of those late night commercials for the class action suits against products that fail. I have been doing research and it appears from the last article I read that the type of mesh used to previously repair my stomach failed 17 out of 24 times – not very good odds in my opinion. I cannot eat most foods, I cannot sleep flat in a bed and I’m still having issues with syncope/balance so I’m going to do what is necessary to get back to a regular life. I know this ALL happens for a reason, but I’m READY for it to be over!!!

We do know I will be a liquid diet for quite a few weeks , but now know that I will only miss Thanksgiving and Christmas will be an extremely small meal, but real food. Have I mentioned that I’m looking forward to 2018 and the start of a new season of life?

I have begun again amassing cooking magazines and simple projects like changing over the address book, password book, etc… for when I’m laid up. Unfortunately, this surgery will leave me with ZERO lifting, stretching or straining for 8 weeks – literally cannot lift anything heavier than a bag of flour. I will be unable to do much more than walk, MAYBE LIMITED SLOW TREADMILL – ABSOLUTELYno lifting, no stretching, etc… I figured I would use the time to read, develop some ideas for new recipes and work on updating the blog compilation. I might be able to do a few simple craft projects too.

WOW is this year moving fast! We had a nice weekend that ended way too fast. Saturday was an uncle’s 75th birthday party and we went and picked up my aunt’s caretaker from year’s past that can no longer drive and lives 45 minutes away to bring her to the party and take her home after the party so Saturday was pretty full. I was able to see 3 cousins that I don’t normally get to see often as we all live in 4 different cities in 2 different states. We had a great visit full of love and laughter accompanied by 2 of my cousin’s munchkins stealing the show as they had fun.

We woke up Sunday to a storm whose wind was rivaling hurricane Harvey and heavy rain so the day quickly turned into a do nothing day where we made brunch, watched football and racing while really doing nothing at all.

The long awaited day is finally here. WRONG – 12:05 UPDATE -doctor’s office just called and rescheduled for Thursday saying he was in an emergency surgery that was taking longer than expected. I know this ALL happens for a reason and I don’t want to be unreasonable, but this ALL began LAST November 2016!!!! I’m READY for it to be over!!!

All of my testing is done and my follow up appointment with the doctor for all the test results and to set a surgery schedule is later today Thursday so I’m a bit apprehensive until I know more. We do know I will be a liquid diet for quite a few weeks and will more than likely be missing both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners so I will be doing a combo holiday meal for hubby, myself and the good uncle just before surgery and then freezing meals for hubby.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’re supposed to be down in the 80’s all week and sunny. As long as the humidity stays low, that’s okay by me. I’d prefer a proper fall, but I’ll settle for a mild Indian summer since we haven’t had a proper frost here.

The term Indian summer usually means warm and dry with above normal temperatures after the first cold spell or frost of the season, but just for trivia’s sake it does not have a positive origin. It refers to a period of time after the settlers had experienced the first frost of the season and were preparing for a long winter. The settlers had let their guard down and the Indians had taken advantage of the settlers being unprepared according to farmer’s almanac.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Fruit smoothie and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… quite a few loads this week, towels, bedding and clothing

LIVING AREAS… plan on doing a deep clean today and tomorrow

KITCHEN… pretty clean

STUDIO… is mainly storage these days so nothing going on there

YARD… nothing much after the weekend storms, just too wet to do anything

Oh my gosh, it’s Monday! Where did last week go? We are down to the last 10 weeks of the year and you know what that means – Christmas is only 70 days away! I lost 2 days last week with invasive testing and another 2 days with just feeling like crap. The good news is the doctor announced that even though the recovery time is the same, he can do the better for me in the long term surgery. The bad news is he decided he needs one more test this next week and unfortunately it is the uncomfortable test he previously changed. Oh well, at this point I’m just praying this is all over before the holidays.

After surgery I will not be able to lift anything for 6-8 weeks so I have been working like a dog to get as much sorted, packed and donated that I can before the surgery. We are so ready to be done with this house from hell and move on to a better way of life soon.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We had a “COLD” front move in last night LOL so we are only supposed to be in the mid 80’s this week, but the night time lows are supposed to drop into the 60’s and the humidity is supposed to drop 20-30% so I’m hoping for a more enjoyable week.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Banana, red grapes and Coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… just a couple loads

LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but as always with animals and husbands I need to do floors

KITCHEN… mop and empty the dishwasher

STUDIO… I did a DEEP clean last week when I started piling boxes in this room so it will be okay for awhile

I grew up in California and unfortunately fires are a fact of life out there, especially in October with the Santa Ana winds. I’ve also been mandatorily evacuated more times that I would like and even watched from a cruise ship one year while our tiny town of 500 was on CNN in one of the fastest moving fires in LA history, but there was usually a lot of brush and trees burned and even a few structures, but in ALL those years I cannot remember any combination of fires as horrific as what California is experiencing now, especially with loss of life. Please keep California in your prayers that containment comes soon and there is no more loss of property or life.

As horrible what California is going through, there is still so much destruction and rebuilding going on that is also impacting people ALL over the country and world!

Several months ago I told you about some roof leaks that we had that required major patching and when we went into the attic to investigate the source were confronted with 40 years worth of crap that my grandfather and cousin had accumulated back in a corner we “missed” originally because it was just that, in a hard to reach corner. Unfortunately we had to bag it and move it in order to reach the area that was leaking. We also discovered about 500 pounds of “good” (by my grandfather’s terms) boards that I’m sure he was saving for a project as well as a bunch of bricks – really bricks in an attic? I can’t even begin to figure out what those were for. So, we bagged it all up and moved to a pile in the center to be removed later. Well, it’s now later!

In order to get all the bagged stuff and boards down from the attic we needed several things, the first of which was cooler weather which we don’t have yet, but are running out of time on. The second was to empty out the master closet so we didn’t get all the insulation and dirt all over our clothes. So, we bit the bullet the other day and emptied the closet so we could bring down 11-30 gallon bags the next morning. It got too warm so we’re saving the boards for later this week. Trash will pick up large items on Fridays so we are trying to time everything for every other Friday.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I took this picture several years ago down at Brazos Bend State Park, but always find myself looking for the alien cow every time we go back.

My birthday was last month, but I got a WONDERFUL birthday surprise just this past week from my brother aka PINYON RIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY. He is a VERY talented photographer with a vast array of BEAUTIFUL photographs and yes I am biased, but they are truly SPECTACULAR. This one is printed on metal, my new favorite medium and is just awe inspiring.

WOW, WHERE HAS THIS YEAR GONE? I can’t believe we’re in October already. I hope you had a great week and weekend with fun fall activities. It has turned quite warm here again and we spent most of the time indoors watching Movies, Baseball, Racing and some football as well as catching up with the DVR.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

This past week was supposed to be better weather and this upcoming week was supposed to be even better… then there was Nate, Hurricane Nate entering the gulf changed everything and we’re back to temperatures in the 90’s and high humidity.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Some left over omelette and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

I had been using the spare bedroom as a storage area for all the things I have been getting packed and then hubby had an epiphany and NOT a good one. He pointed out that the boxes and totes were blocking both the window and the closet (DUH! it just never occurred to me) and that anyone looking to buy the house was going to want to see both. So I spent 2 days rearranging the spare bedroom and studio so that NO windows or closets are blocked. I did at least get a few more items into the donation box or given to my neighbor.

LAUNDRY… just a couple loads

LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but really need to do floors

KITCHEN… quite clean, but I plan to make a mess soon.

YARD… mowing and edging

BLOG… some recipe updating and planing for future posts. I’m even working on BLOGMAS 2017 plans and recipes

We have tried a few of the new shows and are giving them a second (and sometimes a third) chance to decide before we narrow our list down. There were a couple shows that had characters depart and one in particular that we did not care for how they handled it so we are dropping that show.

YAY!! I’m finally having both of my tests on Tuesday. If all goes well we will know within the next week (one of the tests is a monitor I will where for 2 days that will need to have the results interpreted) which surgery and when I will be having it. The time of not knowing is hopefully coming to an end. I AM SO READY TO GET ON WITH LIFE!!!

I do find it amazing how medical technology has allowed us to determine diagnoses and treatments with less invasive procedures and wirelessly. I am not thrilled about going under anesthesia again and then again for the surgery, but am willing to do whatever it takes to get back to sleeping comfortably in my own bed instead of trying to sleep in a recliner and living life to the fullest.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I have had the most beautiful butterflies in my garden lately. They seem to especially love the yellow Lantana. The top one had the prettiest silver iridescent wings.

I hope everyone had a wonderful week. Mine turned out quite busy in a weird, but also productive way. I can’t believe it’s October already, mainly because it’s so dang hot here still, but it also means Christmas is right around the corner and I’m not sure where we will be so it makes it seem sort of weird.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

YAY we’re finally down to the 80’s, high 80’s but at least NOT 90’s. The evenings have been quite nice, here’s hoping they continue to get better and better!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Protein drink and coffee YAY only 8 days until my tests to determine surgery type and date. I’ve been so miserable – unable to eat, sleep or completely function waiting for this. It has been one REALLY long year getting to this point.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

We found on Thursday that we did not get through hurricane Harvey completely unscathed. When we had the atrium professional painted by a contractor last year they sealed the upper windows (at the 20 foot level) first, or so we thought. I discovered that the exposed brick wall behind the bar area was discoloring from the water that had been dribbling through the defective caulking. As we began researching the issue deeper we ended up having to disassemble the cabinets in the bar area, resealing the windows (inside and out) with the proper type of caulk (what they used had shrunk horribly causing huge gaps – and you know water – it takes the path of least resistance) and repainted the wood and the bricks including those behind the cabinets. Then redid the cabinets. We thought about calling the contractor and making him do it, but so many people in the neighborhood have had bad experiences with him and we just decided to write it off to one more issue with the HOUSE FROM HELL

At least now we know it is done right this time. Hubby did the outside while I did the inside so they should seal well now. Because of tearing apart that area, I was able to get several more boxes packed and ready for the move. I had to take down all the plants so decided to go ahead and transplant them into the pots I was going to use to give the plants to my neighbor when we do move and that made quite a mess, but it sure feels good to have it done.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… just a couple loads

LIVING AREAS… dusting and vacuuming

KITCHEN… mopping and bleaching sink

STUDIO… I did a DEEP clean after reassembling the atrium.

YARD… some pruning and fertilizing

BLOG… some recipe updating from the blog compilations and planning for future posts.

YAY the new television season is finally here. We have tried a few new shows and are going to give them a second chance to decide before we narrow our lists. There were a couple shows that had characters depart and one in particular that we did not care for how they handled it so we may be dropping that show. Some of the old favorites are already in the DVR line-up:

BIG BANG THEORY and the new YOUNG SHELDON

NCIS, NCIS NEW ORLEANS and NCIS LA

CRIMINAL MINDS

MADAM SECRETARY, SCANDAL

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR

LAW & ORDER SVU

BLUE BLOODS

MACGYVER

HAWAII 5-0

Z NATION

THE GOOD PLACE

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

We were supposed to be away for a few days, but out poor old pup is having a rough time this week so we’ll be here instead and I’m hoping to get my canvas updated since there wasn’t anything already on the calendar to get done this week.

Waking up to such horrific news in Las Vegas has me a bit unsettled. I just can’t understand so many things and people in our world these days. Senseless tragedies leave me feeling very agitated about so many things. Praying for peace for the families and friends off the Las Vegas shooting as they begin to deal with so much trauma.

About a year ago I purchased a cordless vacuum and was EXTREMELY happy with it for the first 9 months. Then it began to not always turn on and then when it would turn on I couldn’t get it to turn off without removing the battery. I set it aside to call customer service, but put it off because I haven’t had the best luck talking to helpful people at ANY customer service recently. Well, I was nearing the end of my warranty period and growing tired of using corded vacuum after using my lightweight vacuum and loving it so much so I bit the bullet and called.

The call was NOT going well as the guy I was speaking with kept insisting that I was giving him a non-existent serial number despite the fact I was reading it directly off the machine itself. Long story short he was made aware (I assume by someone monitoring the call) that I was indeed giving him a correct number and then after a brief time on hold he returned to the line with a much improved attitude informing me he would be sending me a fedex label via email and after they received my machine back would be sending me a new one.

I printed out the label on Wednesday morning, dropped the vacuum off at Fedex just before lunch. I figured I would have the new vacuum sometime in the next couple weeks. So, imagine my surprise when the doorbell rang on Thursday afternoon and my new vacuum was there!! Moral of the story, BISSELL stands behind their products and does right by their customers.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Ever since hurricane Harvey, the clouds have been more amazing – at least it seems that way to me. I THINK I’VE BECOME SLIGHTLY OBSESSED WITH CLOUDS.

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend. It took me all week, but I finally got caught up from being gone and even though I wasn’t able to get everyone visited from last HHM, I PROMISE to be back on track this week! I also finally caught up on all my laundry from the broken washer and with hubby’s help moved one of the recliners into the bedroom so I can sleep better until after surgery and recovery. I CANNOT lay flat and sleeping is difficult at best. The recliner isn’t comfortable either, but at least I’m not choking.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We just can’t seem to catch a break weather wise. We’re still supposed to be in the 90’s this week, but at least it has been a little better humidity wise, especially in the mornings.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

I’m at the point where I’m drinking more and more of my meals waiting on my surgery so breakfast is a PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE so I can eat dinner later.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… WHEW after last week I’ll settle for today’s 2 loads.

LIVING AREAS… I did a serious deep clean last week and everything still looks pretty good.

KITCHEN… LOL my kitchen is always in various states of food prep, but all in all is pretty clean this week.

STUDIO… is a complete wreck as I have made it my staging area for ebaying and packing up the house.

YARD… the post hurricane/ flood grass re-seed is growing fairly well and hubby will mow and edge later this week.

BLOG… I’m still working on combining into this blog the recipes from my old blogs.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

Most of the new shows begin this week so we’ll do a lot of DVRing and try them one at a time until we narrow the list to our new favorites.

We’ve been doing A LOT of research this past week and have narrowed our search to 2 different regions. One we are fairly familiar with from a search a few years back, the other is close enough to check out for a few days before my surgery. I’m still pretty worked up about how things have worked out with helping family here with this house and TOTALLY PISSED OFF that it caused us so much grief and pain, not to mention how much money it has cost us. We would have to stay here for at least 10 years to get our money back.

On another note, but along the same topic it appears our fears regarding my uncle being pursued by a gold digger are true. We were recently notified (by her) in an almost threatening way that she has his power of attorney and that we should deal directly with her from now on. As far as I’m concerned she still doesn’t exist as she was the one notifying us without any legal proof – so she can go jump in a lake. The uncle I’ve known all my life would NEVER forsake the little family he has left without being under undue influence or duress.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Gunny gets a few more treats now that he’s older. He’s made it clear that he wants them served on a plate from here on out.

The post hurricane Harvey thunderstorms have been amazing and left us with some interesting skies. There are still debris everywhere and traffic beyond belief, but it looks like most things are getting back to normal.

I think I’m almost down to 2½ sides…and I’m FINALLY taking back my life… actually CHASING MY LIFE.

IT IS WHAT IT IS!

I'll ALWAYS be 3 Sides of Crazy cooking in OUR Krazy Kitchen at my Savory Kitchen Table and ALWAYS Eating on the Good China but counting down to normal ~ WHATEVER THAT IS!

I love to cook, read, write, quilt, craft, go antiquing, amateur photography and to learn new things. I’m a Jill of many trades & always have more interests and desires than I have time. LOL I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I love being a homemaker and keeping my family healthy and happy.

As a Christian woman I believe life is all about change and that learning to cope with it as it happens will help you through life. I believe in Murphy’s Law, the Domino Effect, Payback’s a Bitch, and Karma. I also believe that Pay It Forward and living by the Golden Rule go a long way to keep the former from happening to begin with. I believe everything happens for a reason and that life is one big adventure.

I try to see life through rose colored glasses and be as tolerant as possible. My glass is always half full. I am an optimist, extremely positive minded and usually a really upbeat person so anything goes within reason.

I especially love to cook and develop new recipes. I have written a couple of cookbooks for family reunions that I’m working on getting published and have new cook books in the works.

RULES TO LIVE BY

Good cooking is an art, as well as a form of intense pleasure... A recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation. ~Madame Jehane Benoit, Chef (1904-1987)